Gas-producer



Patented Aug. 23,1898.

J. G. SANDERSON.

GAS PR-DUCER.

(Application led Tm '7, 1897. y (N o M o d e I .1)

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Nirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES GARDNER SANDERSON, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-PRODUCER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,705, dated August23, 1898.

Applicant nea January 7, 1897.

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES GARDNER SAN- DERSON, a citizen 0f the UnitedStates, residin g at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Producers, of which the following isa specification.

My invention consists in the novel construction of a furnace forproducing gas, and is especially designed for the use of small coals,such as bituminous breeze and anthracite culm, though larger sizes ofcoals can be used.

The special features of my present device are the cleaningdischarge-valve and means for operating it, the side grates havinglateral openings for admission of air and steam, the side chambers wherethe air and steam are superheated before entering the fuel through theside grates, and the means for feeding the fuel down the sides of thefurnace, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described, andpointed out in the claims.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, l will proceed todescribe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a vertical section taken on the line ct l), Fig. 2. Fig. 2is a vertical section taken on the line c d,Fig.1. Fig, 3 is ahorizontal section through the Aline e f, Figs. l and 2; and Fig. fi isan elevation and plan, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the sidegrates.

Similar parts are indicated by the same reference-numbers in the variousgures.

1 represents the outer shell or casing, of metal, of the producer; 2, aspace filled with any heatnon-conducting material, such as mineral wool,sand, ashes, duc., and 3 a firebrick lining extending from the line efto the top of the furnace.

4E represents a metal cover or top provided with the ribs, as shown, forgiving additional strength and peaked lengthwise of the furnace. Thistop forms the under side of fuelhoppers 5 and is supported by metalbeams 4', which are placed a sufficient distance from the sides of thefurnace, so as to-leave openings for feed valves along the two sides,through which the fuel is fed to the furnace from the hoppers above. Inone end of this serial No. 613,360. (Numana peaked (or,\it may be,arched) top is the gasoutlet pipe 8, and in the other end is a hingeddoor 8.

6 represents converging metal plates eX- tending down from the beams 1iand forming the inner` walls of the magazine feeders. Theseplates areinclined away from the sides of the furnace,`so as to give the fuel afree downward passage.

7 represents the gaschamber, in which may be located a feed-water heater(not shown) of any description for supplying the steam-geni erator,which is necessary for furnishing the steam required in the productionof gas under this process.

9 represents the inclined metal sides of the downwardly-convergingfire-pot, and l0 the inclined side grates, constructed as hereinafterexplained and intended only for the admission of air and steam.

ll represents a horizontal ash-cleaning discharge-valve, the upperportion being adapted to move lengthwise on top of a stationary part,each part having openings which regisister and the upper portion havingprojections, as shown.

l2 represents metal pieces on each side of the cleaning discharge-valve,located below the side grates and also provided with projections which,being stationary, assist in breaking up clinker when the upper part ofthe discharge-valve'is reciprocated.

13 represents two superheating air and steam chambers into `which airandsteam are forced under pressure through the pipes 14, and 15` are metalframes supporting the side grates and lire-pot, as wellas the `portionof the furnace above the fire-pot.` l These frames rest on thebase-plates 16, also of metal, which in turn rest on the foundations 17,preferably of masonry. Beneath the cleaning dischargevalve there is atank 18, containing water and kextending outside the foundation of theproducer. The water-level, being above the bottom 19 of the outer casing1, makes a water seal and prevents the escape of" air and steam when thecleaning discharge-valve is being reciprocated. v

The side grates lO are made up of metal plates resting on top ofeachother, as shown in Fig. 4. The plates haveribs projecting from theirtop or bottom surfaces to separate IOO v venient manner.

them and leaving lateral openings or horizontal spaces between theplates, through which the air and steam can pass from the chambers 13.Preferably there are no grates in the ends of the iire-pot, only alongthe sides, in which case the fuel is fed only along the sides and not atthe ends. The Afuel in the fire-pot is maintained in a state of rapidcombustion, and the walls of the fire-pot being of metal the chambers 13will be very hot and will superheat the air and steam before it comes incontact with the fuel. The movable portion of the cleaningdischarge-valve 1l can be reciprocated by means of a hand-lever, asshown at 20, or by power connected in any con- The ashes fall into theWater-tank and may be removed from the outside without interrupting theoperations of the producer.

I have indicated revolving feed-valves in the openings between thefuel-hoppers and magazine-feeders, although they are unnecessary wherevery small coals and dust are used. They are necessary, however, whenprepared coal or larger sizes are used. These valves are metal pipeswith openings or slots extending the length of the hopper and ofsufficient width to admit the coal to fill the pipes when the openingsare on top and to discharge when the valves are revolved so that theopenings will be down. They may be revolved by any suitable mechanism.As before stated, these were unnecessary where ne coals, such asanthracite culm and bituminous breeze, are used, as experience has shownthat where a magazine-feed is used the considerable mass of the finefuel containing much dust prevents the escape of gas through the hopper.I have not considered it necessary to show mechanism for revolving thesevalves, if employed, as it would need but simple sprocketor cog wheelson the ends of the pipes with chain belt or pinion 4to operate them, andalso I have considered it unnecessary to showa steam-generator forsupplying steam used in the process, as any form of generator may beused, and in many cases the steam would be taken from generators usedfor power or other purposes.

I do not confine myself to the particular construction of thedischarge-valve as shown. Other known means for breaking and removingash and clinker may be used in combination with the novel features of myconstruction.

In the process for generating gas in my improved producer the hopper iskept supplied with fuel, which is continuously supplied to themagazine-feeders. They, being always filled, maintain a uniform bed offuel in the furnace. The air to maintain combustion and steam fordecomposition enters the superheating chambers 13 and through the gratesl0 into the lower part of the fuel-bed. As the fuel is consumed thereciprocating of the upper portion of the discharge-valve 11 loosens itup, and as the openings in the upper and lower portions register witheach other the ash is discharged into the watertank beneath, from whichit may be removed Without disturbing the operation of the producer.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by'Letters Patent, is

l. A gas-producer comprising a casing, the fuel-hoppers, themagazine-feeders locatedat the sides of the casing and providing agaschamber between them, the downwardly-converging iire-pot having sidegrates formed with lateral grate-openin gs, the superheatingchambers forthe air and steam located at the sides of the fire-pot and dischargingthrough the grate-openings, and means for breaking clinker anddischarging ash at the foot of the inclined sides; substantially asdescribed.

2. A gas-producer comprising a casing, the f uel-hoppers, themagazine-feeders located at the sides of the casing and providing agaschamberbetween them, the downwardly-converging ire-pot having side'grates formed with lateral grate-openings, the superheatingchambers forthe air and steam located at the sides of the fire-pot and dischargingthrough the grate-openings, and the discl'iarge-valve located at thebottom of the said tire-pot substantially as described.

3. A gas-producer comprisinga casing, the magazine-feeders located atthe sides of the casing and providing a gas-chamber between them, thedownwardly-converging iire-pot having side grat-es formed with lateralgrateopenings, the superheating-chambers for the air and steam locatedat the sides ot' the firepot and discharging through the grate-openings,Vthe breaking-pieces provided with projections and located beneath thegrates, and the discharge-valve having proj ect-ions working inconjunction with the projections on the breaking-pieces and locatedbetween the breaking-pieces; substantially as described.

4. A gas-producer comprising a fire-pot having downwardly-convergingends, and downwardly-converging sides formed with horizontal platesspaced apart to provide lateral openings proportioned to the width ofsaid plates, the plates being of sufficient width to prevent ash or fuelfalling through the lateral openings between the plates, thesuperheating-chambers located at the ends and sides of the fire-pot anddischarging through the said lateral openings, and the magazines locatedat the sides oi' the producer through which the fuel is continuouslyfed; substantially as described.

5. A gas-producer comprising a continuous feeding device along two sidesof the producer, a re-pot having two downwardly-converging sides formedwith horizontal plates spaced apart to provide lateral openingsproportioned to the width of said plates, the plates being of suflicientwidth to prevent'ash or fuel falling through the lateral openingsbetween the plates, the superheating-cha-mbers located at IOO IIO

the sides of the fire pot and discharging through the said lateralopenings, and a suitable device for breaking and discharging ash andclinker at the foot of the converging sides; substantiallyas described.

6. A gas-producer comprising a downwardly-converging hre-pot having sidegrates, the

breaking-pieces having projections and located beneath the side grates,and the ash-discharge valve consisting of a stationary portion havingopenings, and a movable portion having openings adapted to register withthe openings in the stationary part,'and projections working inconjunction with the projections on the breaking-pieces; substantiallyas described.

7. A gas-producer comprising a iire-pot having downwardly-convergingends, and downwardly-converging sides formed with horizontal platesspaced apart to provide lateral openings proportioned to the width ofsaid plates, the plates being of sucient width to prevent ash or fuelfalling through the lateral openings between the plates, thesuperheatingchambers located at the ends and sides of the fire-pot anddischarging through the said lateral openings, the downwardly-flaringmagazines located at the sides of the producer through which the fuel iscontinuously fed, and a water-tank beneath the fire-pot to receive theash as the fuel is consumed; subtantially as described.

8. A gas-producer comprising feed-hoppers extending lengthwise of theproducer, the peaked top forming the under side of the hoppers placed asufficient distance from the sides of the producer to providefeed-open-` ings, rotary cylindrical valves located in the feed-openingsalong the two sides, the inwardly-inclined pendent plates forming theinner walls of the magazine-feeders, a repot having twodownwardly-converging sides formed with horizontal plates spaced apartto provide lateral openings, and the superheating-charnbers located atthe sides of the re-pot and discharging through said lateral JAMESGARDNER SANDERSON.

Witnesses:

HARRY C. REYNOLDS, E. F. ScHIvE.

